things here lately...

Here lately...

Watching...The Great British Bake Off, The Great British Baking Show Masterclass, and Escape to the Country. (All available for streaming on Netflix, and all British.) I think I lived in England in another life.

 

Reading...A book about all the little things that dogs can tell about the people and world around them just from using their noses, a dreamy book of beautiful spring pictures and traditions, a new cookbook with all kinds of recipes from the Mediterranean, another look at an old favorite with recipes from Paris, a German language workbook, and a good classic whodunit.

 

Listening...My favorite band from the British Invasion of the 1960s. (Is that clear vinyl groovy, or what?)

 

Baking...Tarts. (Because see "Watching" above.) Tart crust and French pastry cream recipes from Barefoot in Paris. Yum, yum.

 

Cooking...Orzo with Shrimp, Feta, and Lemon. Pages 158-9 in The Complete Mediterranean Cookbook. (So far everything I have tried from this book has been really good.)

 

Knitting...a couple of sweaters for summer. (Because I finally live in a place where a person can actually wear sweaters in summer!) "Staring at Stars" sweater pattern in a Tardis blue madelinetosh ToshDK yarn. Makes me dream of Van Gogh's The Starry Night. Sigh. <3  And "Shellseeker" pattern in nautical stripes made from Berroco's cotton yarn "Weekend" for summer evenings, hopefully spent at the lake. (Ravelry notes here and here.)

 

Sewing...again! After an unbelievable year of unplanned distractions. Specifically, prototypes for a new pattern. (Those cowhide and Coca-Cola fabrics though.)

 

Choosing...fabrics. Prints and solids. All for Texas Flag Quilt fabric kits. (Available soon! Yes, yes!)



Working...on putting together a blog post/shop update for The Aspen Tree. Please stay tuned...

 

Loving...the last of the spring snow showers before summer arrives. Oh, Colorado. You have my heart. <3

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Patience is a Virtue

Things have been really quiet here on the blog, because things in real life have been anything but. Life is full of seasons, and some are more challenging than others. I won't lie. It's been a cruel, cruel summer so far. (Hey. You might as well sing some 80's Bananarama in the midst of it all, right?!)

So for any friends and/or family interested in keeping up with all things "Us"...

 

The Roof - We knew when we bought our house three years ago that we would have repairs and work to do. The major-est of the majors? A roof replacement. We noticed leaks, disintegrating asphalt shingles, and got put on a one-year waiting list with a local company for a replacement. This past late spring our number came up. And it has been up ever since.

What should have taken 2-3 days to complete, is now at day 57. Eight weeks. And it is still not finished. I will try to take the high road here, but it has been eight weeks of misordered materials, damaged materials, miscut materials, leaks which have resulted in water coming into our attic and home (we found seven in all), lies from the contractor and crews, no shows from contractor and crews, more running out of materials, more incorrect materials ordered. It will be at least another week before they will be finished. (We were told today that our gutter materials won't arrive until Thursday afternoon, and they don't work on Fridays. They might be able to come out next Monday. Or Tuesday. Maybe.)

John has had to research so much in and through this process that he wishes he had installed the roof himself. And you know what? He could have. And he would have been finished long before now. He has had to get up on the roof (twice in the rain) to try to patch places were the water kept coming in. He has been up and down, in and out of our attic more times than I can count. Our neighbor, a long-time Steamboat resident, shook his head and confirmed: this is the trade off of living in a ski resort town in the middle of nowhere. His wife smiled sadly and said, "Welcome to Steamboat!" Once the roofing crew is done, John will then begin the task of repairing the water damage from the leaks.

I told John this is what the ninth month of pregnancy feels like. You stand there and think, "This is never. going. to. end." Good times!

 

 

The Penalty Points - So Emma has discovered Taylor Swift. She has about a dozen or so songs on her MP3 player that she brings with her whenever she and I get into the car to go somewhere. After hearing said songs about a million times, I know them pretty well myself. If anyone knows me well, they know that I sing. All the time. Anywhere. It's a stress reliever, a mood lifter, and it's just fun, okay?

Emma decided that she doesn't want me to sing along to Taylor Swift in the car anymore. I tried to be good, honest I did. But that kid has NO IDEA the massive amounts of self-control I must tap into to keep my mouth shut. I negotiated a compromise: I am allowed to sing one line from each song. Just one. That's it. Whenever I sing it, she invariably tells me, "That was your one line, Mom. That's it. No more."

This week I made the mistake of belting out a second line. (It was "Mean". I couldn't help it.) "GASP! Mom! You already sang your one line! Now I'm going to have to give you a Penalty Point!" Penalty Point??? When did Penalty Points become a part of this deal? I didn't agree to this.

I quit singing and started dancing from the waist up instead. (Because it was now "Shake It Off".) "Mom, no dancing!" "But it's THIS song!" I told her. She wouldn't budge. Then she took a preemptive strike. "And no lip syncing!" I racked up four Penalty Points by the time we got home.

Life is so unfair.

 

 

The Feels - Perimenopause is for the birds. And that's all I'm going to say about that. Otherwise, I might start crying. Again.

 

 

The Shower Stall - I meant to share pics and post about this last summer when John was working on it, but it didn't happen. My bad. You might remember from this older post that when we bought our house, our master bathroom was in need of repair. We haven't completed all of those projects yet, but last summer John completed a big one: the shower stall.

After doing the demo, he discovered that the shower had been leaking for a long time. (More leaks!) The floor joists and subfloor were rotted. After replacing those, he installed the Schluter-Kerdi shower system (which he highly recommends!), took a deep breath, and did his first tiling job ever. I think he knocked it out of the park! We chose large tiles set in a brick pattern for the walls, two white shelves for the corner, and flat stone mosaic for the floor. That stone floor is my favorite.

We priced a replacement glass door, but that was not jiving at all with our budget. I found an extra long shower curtain liner and a spa-like white extra long shower curtain on Amazon.com to use instead. They work wonderfully, and I actually like it just as is. The curtain softens up the hard lines of the tile, I think. The chrome shower curtain rod, shower head, and valve handle were all affordable options on Amazon, as well.

John picks apart the work he did, but can I brag on him? It is gorgeous. Just beautiful. He did a great job, and I think it is the best shower ever. He never ceases to amaze me.

 

 

The Needs - I started this year with a business venture, and it has been an amazing experience so far. Difficult, but amazing in that I have learned so much about all things business and taxes and such, about myself, about my family, about my needs. I am challenged to really hone in on what my priorities need to be. I am challenged to take better care of myself.

I am lucky to have three amazing easygoing kids and a husband that encourages me to do things to treat myself. Trouble is, I usually don't. I am perfectly happy to take the backseat. John calls it the Chicken Neck Phenomenon. The mother takes the time to go to the store to pick out a whole chicken to feed her family. She lovingly seasons and trusses and roasts the chicken. When the family sits down to dinner, she sees to everyone else's needs. To make sure everyone gets what she thinks is enough, she looks at the chicken carcass left on the platter and says with a smile, "Oh, I'll just have the neck! I really wanted the neck anyway!" (Unless there's chocolate involved. I always take my fair share of chocolate!)

Am I alone in this? Self-care just doesn't come naturally to me. But I find myself in a season of life where I am seeing how important it is for me to be kind to myself. To give to myself, not just to others. Maybe it comes from my personality. Maybe it comes from being the firstborn child in a large family. Maybe it is, quite honestly, bad theology that teaches the sin of self. A teaching that ignores the importance of setting limits, or the importance of protecting oneself physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. (Just thinking out loud here.) I understand that in a narcissistic and selfish society such as ours, caring for others in so vitally important, it's just that I also understand that, for me, things can get out of balance.

I think I'll make myself a hair appointment and read a good long book.  :)

 

 

The Little Things - The best things so far this summer have been the little unexpected gifts. A day full of tears (see The Feels above) is the same day that the first Rufus hummingbird of the season shows up hovering right outside my bedroom window. A little personal reminder that God sees me. I am known by Him. He keeps me in the palm of His hand. It will all be alright.

Because we can't mow a lawn piled up with metal panels and construction materials, daisies are allowed to grow wild all over the backyard. I never realized until this summer that they grow there.

John and I take a walk down one of the hiking trails, and with every step I take, little yellow butterflies flit and flutter up from the grass and fly all around me.

The foxes walk through the yard regularly and stop and stare while I try to engage them in conversation. (I have decided that if I ever go to a Native American naming ceremony, I will ask to be called Talks With Foxes.)

A bear (A BEAR!) hung around our yard for 24 hours last month. He brought with him respite from roof drama and excitement for weary souls. Oh, I wish I could've hugged him. I feel quite certain he would have welcomed it.

A deer eats sarvis berries from our bushes. When she sees me at the window taking pictures, she turns and faces me for a photo op. I talk to her through the window, and she steps closer to listen. (The animals around here make me feel like I am living in a classic Disney Princess movie!)

John calls us out to the deck to watch bats flying overhead, their wings flapping erratically against the dusky blue sky. Emma giggles as I squeal when one flies right in front of us.

The roses bloomed and bloomed this year after their pruning from last. I walked through the flower beds every day, noticing every new leaf, every new bud, touching every stem, pulling every new weed, feeding every plant. I practically hovered and mothered over it all. I was thinking as I walked through the roses one day that this is my Heavenly Father's way with me. "The Lord will perfect all that concerns me." Not perfect (the adjective), as in perfectionism, but perfect (the verb), as in complete. He notices every detail, every change in growth, every hurt, every joy. He feeds and waters. He gives wisdom. He comforts and heals. He sends a meteor to blaze across the midnight sky for me to see at the exact moment I look out the window one last time as I climb into bed.

The same God that hovers over me and my small concerns, hovers over all of creation and hears its cries for peace, for hope. Life is hard, but God is good. <3

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You're (Not) From Texas

One day last week, Emma and I were doing the grocery shopping when we noticed a tall older gentleman stopped in the middle of the aisle picking up some Coca-Cola. We slowed our pace and maneuvered around the man. He looked up and smiled. We nodded, and I said smiling, "Excuse us."

He pushed his cart slowly past us and said in a sweet, deep voice, "Oh, y'all are fine!"

I froze dead in my tracks and spun around on my heels. "You said 'y'all'!"

He turned back around to face me with a huge grin on his face. "Yes, I sure did!"

"Where are you from?" I asked.

I swear his chest puffed out when he answered me. "Texas."

I thought so. Nobody (other than my own little family) says "y'all" up here. I stick out like a sore thumb whenever I say it in conversation. Hearing his deep Texas drawl was like music to my ears!

He said he lives in Texas, but owns a place here in the mountains. We talked about what we love about Texas: the history, the people, his Texas acres outside of Austin that fill with bluebonnets every spring. We talked out what we love about the Rockies: the wildlife, the recreation, his Colorado acres north of town that look out across the Mt. Zirkel Wilderness. He said he would be going back to Texas just in time to see the bluebonnets blooming and to enjoy Easter with his family.

Just as I have noticed an aching in my heart around Christmas for friends and family, I have noticed an aching in my heart for Texas in the springtime. The temperature is mild. The sun shines. The humidity is low. The wildflowers start popping out along all the highways, the bluebonnets being supreme, of course.

I am feeling it right now. Maybe it has to do with the fact that I am surrounded in every spare moment that I can find by western fabrics and Texas flags. Maybe it has to do with the fact that I have been watching through episodes of Fixer Upper. (Y'all...Fixer Upper! My question-a-day journal asked me lately what my current favorite word is, and I answered "shiplap".)

After being away for almost three years now, I am realizing how much Texas truly gets in your blood. So many things that I imagined to be "typical American" in my childhood were actually "100% Texas".

 

--Don't all kids pick pecans off of everything that adults bake? Because, adults reason, if a cookie or a pie or a cake can be made, it can be made better with pecans. And now I am the adult baking pecans into everything.

--Don't all kids eat kolaches for breakfast on Saturday mornings? Or at least get excited when someone walks in the front door with a dozen glazed from Shipley's?

--Don't all kids have heroes with names like "Sam Houston" and "Davy Crockett" and "Stephen F. Austin"? Don't all kids know about the  brave men that fought at the Alamo, and the Texian (Yes, it's spelled "Texian".) Army that defeated Santa Anna at the Battle of San Jacinto?

--Don't all kids grow up eating Tex-Mex for dinner? Tacos and enchiladas and queso and fajitas and tortillas and flautas and chips with salsa? Or what about the chicken fried steak with gravy, macaroni and cheese, and fried okra at Luby's Cafeteria?

--Don't all kids dress western for school one day a year and get excited when the Trail Riders hit town to signal the start of the Livestock Show and Rodeo in the spring?

--Don't all kids line up in their roller skates and dance the Cotton-Eyed Joe at the local roller rink during the Saturday skate session?   (Yes, we did the Hokey Pokey, too, but really, everybody waited for the Cotton-Eyed Joe.)

--Don't all kids spend all week at school just waiting to get to Friday, because that's when the football team plays again? And pep rallies are celebrated? And marching bands play? (Mighty Texan Band!) And the dance team in blue sequins and cowboy hats do high kicks?

--Doesn't the sky look this big everywhere in the world? I thought it did, until I went back for a short visit to Texas last year. It was like I saw that sky for the first time all over again, and I just could.not.believe it. It just goes on for miles and miles.

 

One of my favorite truly Texas memories goes back to Sam Rayburn High School's senior prom. Everyone was dressed to the nines, wearing their corsages, taking their pictures...until the DJ started playing the Cotton-Eyed Joe. (Cotton-Eyed Joe. I'm tellin' ya!) Then there was a mad rush to the dance floor, whooping and hollering, laughing and dancing. Student body and staff alike were dancing side by side in lines around the dance floor yelling, "B*LLSH*T!!!" Ah, yes. Only in Texas.

I am on a big Texas music kick, too. Willie. Lyle. George. Asleep at the Wheel. Especially Asleep at the Wheel. I have learned that I am a Texas Swing music fan. This may not sound like much to anyone who doesn't know me well. Thing is, I have never liked country music. Never ever never. (80's British Pop for me.) And I really don't like what some call "country music" in this day and age, but classic Texas music is all that plays on my phone these days.

Lest you think I regret moving, I assure you this is not the case. I am a mountain girl. The split second I saw the Rockies on the horizon as I drove our car behind the U-Haul, I burst into tears. I leave bits of food out for the foxes in the backyard. I saw a mama moose walk her baby across the street this morning. I cannot get enough of the outdoors here, and I cannot take the humid heat of Houston. I thank God every day that I live in Colorado. But I also thank him every day that I lived in Texas first.

 

One for those of you who are Texans...

 

 

And one for those of you who aren't...

 

 

And now back to the sewing room and Texas flags. And the makings of a grocery store list. I have a strong and sudden craving for enchiladas.

*Pictures of the kids are from my old cell phone and were taken circa 2012 back in Texas.

A Year of Lists: Songs and the Memories They Hold

Music has always, always been an important part of my life, whether I was listening to it, playing it, or singing it. I sing all the time. All.the.time. My kids know this full well. I am regularly reminded by them not to sing out loud as we walk down the aisles of the grocery store. I am told not to sing along with the soundtracks of favorite movies or the theme songs of television shows. (Gilmore Girls. Tell me, how am I supposed to just sit there and not make a peep while Carole King sings "Where You Lead"?) People say things in conversation that immediately remind me of a song lyric. My husband teases that, to me, life is just one big musical. Well, of course it is!

I borrowed the idea of this journaling list topic from the blog Get the Words Out . Songs and the Memories They Hold. Oh, couldn't I write a book full of them?! Songs have a way of taking you back to such specific times and events.

Play Michael Jackson's "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough" or Blondie's "Heart of Glass" and I am nine years old at the roller skating rink with one of my best friends (Shelly or Cammy) getting cokes and candy at the snack bar, giggling about cute boys, and wishing that I had a cute boy to skate "Partners Skate" with. (Although I would have been fine settling for Shaun Cassidy.)

Play any song from Randy Stonehill's album Equator and I am twelve years old at summer church camp. My friends and I are swimming, jumping on a trampoline, playing games, and, oh yeah, giggling about cute boys. Songs like "China" and "American Fast Food" are playing over the sound system. I go home at the end of the week, collect my babysitting money, and purchase the album on cassette tape. My first ever music purchase.

When I hear "If You Leave" by OMD, I am immediately transported to all things "80's". I am fifteen and at a formal school dance. I am in a red dress and high heels and I wear a wrist corsage of white roses. My date is in a tuxedo. The hotel ballroom is darkly lit. Everyone is excited. Dinner is served. The DJ is playing a mix of Duran Duran, Madonna, Thompson Twins, and Huey Lewis and the News. Hair (big bangs!), makeup, jewelry, and the smell of Polo by Ralph Lauren cologne are everywhere. I have a big crush on my date, but to him, we are only friends. My heart beats fast, my stomach is full of butterflies, but he doesn't know. Oh, the melancholy. Why must I be a teenager in love?

Then there are memories of my wedding day when I hear Steven Curtis Chapman's "I Will Be Here", remembrances of Joel singing to me in his toddler years when I hear Bobby Darin sing "Beyond the Sea", events of adulthood which permanently placed Tom Petty's "I Won't Back Down" on the soundtrack of my life. I could go on and on, but when I sat down to write this post, one memory stood out above the rest.

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"Head Full of Doubt/Road Full of Promise" - The Avett Brothers

It was a warm Sunday morning. A rare and beautiful sunny spring day in Texas. Not too hot, not cold. Blue skies full of white puffy clouds. But I was indoors. The music team was setting up for Sunday service on the stage of the school's auditorium where we met every week. The speakers, the monitors, the mics, the instruments all had to be set up. Maria and I had set up our mics and music and now stood waiting as the musicians did the more involved work that their instruments required.

Jason, the bass player, walked in the through the back doors of the auditorium. I heard his voice before I could see him.

"Hey! There's a cardinal trapped in the foyer!" he said.

Now, I love cardinals. Love them. He had my full attention. "What?!"

"Yeah. It's flying around the foyer and can't figure out how to get back outside."

I looked at our leader, Kelly, expectantly. He nodded. Your part of set-up is done. Go ahead. Go check it out.

Maria and I rushed up the long aisle of the auditorium, through the double doors, and into the foyer. There straight in front of me I saw him. Vibrant red. Beautiful. And terrified. He was sitting in front of one of the several huge panes of glass that ran from ceiling to almost floor in the front of the building. He was looking outside, and then he suddenly threw himself into the glass trying to get to the world that he saw beyond it. I was afraid he would hurt himself. Maria and I stood and watched as he swooped up to the ceiling and flew back and forth the width of the room almost as if he were pacing. He couldn't find his way out. The glass double doors leading to the outside were there. He just didn't see them.

I was transfixed by him. I wanted to help him so badly, but what could I do? Perhaps he could tell his frantic flying wasn't working, or perhaps he was tiring himself out, but he finally landed on the same window sill that I had first seen him on. He threw himself into the glass again. Wings flapping wildly. Beak tapping. He called out. But he was trapped. He fell back down onto the sill stunned and tired. I could feel tears in my eyes. And then I stepped forward slowly and deliberately trying not to scare him. I wasn't sure what I could do. There was no way he was going to let me pick him up. But he did.

I reached my hands forward and gently but firmly grasped him in front of me. He didn't fight. I lifted him up from the window sill and held him out in front of me in shock. "I'm holding a cardinal!" I thought. I could feel his heart beating rapidly in his chest. I could feel his quick short breaths. His bone structure was so delicate, his feathers so soft. He didn't peck at me. He didn't try to flap his wings. He made quiet, little, pitiful, soft chirping sounds. My heart was hurting for him. He must have been so scared, but I knew what he didn't. His fight was almost over. Freedom was coming.

I walked slowly to the glass double doors that led outside, talking quietly and calmly and softly to him all the way. "It's okay. I've got you. It's over now. You are safe. You are beautiful. You are okay."

I got outside to the front porch and slowly cupped open my hands. He sat still for a couple of seconds, looking around and getting his bearings. Suddenly I felt his muscles tighten as he spread his red wings and flew straight up into the high branches of a nearby oak tree. He was safe. He was free. After a minute, he flew across the big, never-ending Texas skies.

It was then that I realized that my heart was pounding, too. My hands were slightly shaking. I looked up at Maria. Both of us were wide-eyed. Neither of us said a word. We walked back to the auditorium's stage and told the team that the bird was free. Set-up was almost complete. I stood and thought about that bird and how deep my emotions went.

I was that bird. I had spent years flying around in circles looking for freedom. I had thrown myself into obstacles trying to release myself from my cage. Oh, we all have cages. Some are forced upon us. Some are put in place by our own doing, and some are sadly put in place by our own choosing. But no matter how we ended up in them, all cages bring hurt. I, like that cardinal, had sat staring outside at the big blue sky, longing for what I saw there. Colors, breezes, warmth, sunshine, white clouds. Freedom. I didn't know how to get there. My efforts had only left me exhausted. I cried. And Someone heard me.

While I sat tired, afraid, and broken, I was picked up by arms bigger than my own. I was held in gentle but firm hands and carried to freedom. He knew the way. He spoke truth quietly, calmly, and softly to me. "You are okay." He did it all. I sat dazed but comforted in His hands. And now He beckons me to fly.

This happened about five years ago, but every time I hear "Head Full of Doubt/Road Full of Promise", I remember. I don't know what Seth and Scott Avett were thinking about when they wrote this song, (I'm sure it had nothing to do with cardinals.), but I know what it means to me.

James Avery Jewelry in Texas has a silver charm of a cardinal that I want to add to my charm bracelet. The next time I am back, I will buy one.

 

"There was a dream / And one day I could see it / Like a bird in a cage / I broke in and demanded that somebody free it." - The Avett Brothers

Project 6: Quilt for a Bestie

While packing up to move, I discovered 20 unfinished projects in my sewing room. Setting myself a goal of one year, I am working to see how many of these 20 Projects I can complete.

I have this friend. Her name is Stephanie, but sometimes I just call her "Bestie". We've been friends for over 20 years now.

When I met Stephanie, I was single and in my early 20's. She visited my dad's church one day. I'll be completely honest here. My first thought when I saw her? "Great. She's gorgeous." Well, you see, I was interested in a particular guy at our church, and I figured I didn't have a chance with him if she was around. Please don't judge me too harshly! Stephanie and I laugh about it now. But that's what besties do...they laugh together about first impressions and funny memories and inside jokes. They laugh A LOT.

Stephanie and I didn't really know each other very well for quite some time. Autumn would appear on the calendar, and with autumn came Christmas Choir rehearsals. We were both sopranos, and with another dear lady named Laurie, we made up the First Soprano section, which meant we sat together for every rehearsal. We clicked. And talked. And laughed. But very quietly, so that we wouldn't be called down by our music director. Then, after our choir performances were over every December, we didn't see each other as often. But we always had Christmas Choir. Every year.

Eventually, I got a job working as a hostess in the same restaurant where Stephanie and her fiance' were working as waitstaff. So, then we bonded over Mexican food at Pappasito's. (Chips and Queso, Beef and Chicken Fajitas with flour tortillas and Brochette Shrimp with extra Mantequilla on the side, and a Capriotata or a Cajeta for dessert. Oh, Tex-Mex, how I love thee.)

We went on women's retreats together, had roles in each other's weddings, took each other meals after our babies were born. We swapped recipes and decorated cupcakes together. We became two of the original Texas Girlfriends. She sang Paddy McGinty's Goat to me in her best Irish brogue over the phone one day after I moved to Colorado, and we had a good, big laugh.

 

"Now Paddy McGinty, an Irish man of note,

Fell into a fortune and bought himself a goat.

Said he to himself, "Of milk I'll have me fill!"

But when he got it home, he found the nanny was a bill!"

 

We got along famously, but it took some certain circumstances arising in my life to discover that this warm, caring, kind, giving girl with a hilarious sense of humor was, above all, the epitome of a True Friend. The kind of friend that is still standing there next to you after the tears have been cried, after the dust has settled, and when the healing begins.

We spent a lot of hours on the phone during those days. We shared our stories, laughed and cried. We have prayed for each other, held each other up, and challenged each other when needed. And one Christmas I decided that Stephanie should have a quilt. After all, she was the one who introduced me to this guy named John that I know. (Remind me to tell you some time.)

I chose the Moda fabric line Glace' from 3 Sisters, because the collection included fabrics in Stephanie's favorite colors. The colors are rich and vibrant, but I had a hard time conveying that in most of my photographs.

 

 

The line was almost completely sold out everywhere, but I was able to find two Moda Honey Buns and some yardage on etsy.com, and then found this video tutorial on YouTube by searching for Honey Bun quilt patterns. "Summer in the Park" was my favorite. (You can make it with Jelly Rolls, too!)

I had the quilt top finished just in time for Christmas that year and took it with me to meet Steph at our usual spot: Barnes & Noble where we would browse and browse (mainly cookbook titles) with a drink from Starbucks in hand and then sit in a quiet corner and get caught up with each other on all the latest happenings in life. We exchanged Christmas gifts. She gave me a Duran Duran cd, among other things. (Besties know what Besties like). I showed her the quilt top and then had to take it back to finish it. That was two Christmases ago. That is how this quilt came to be included in my "20 Projects".

With the quilt top finished, all that was needed was the backing, borders, quilting, and binding. For the backing, I designed a large quilt block of sorts to be the focal point: a four-leaf clover made up of appliqued hearts to celebrate our Irish heritage, (something we both proudly share. See Paddy McGinty's Goat above.) bordered by strips of fabric left over from the quilt top. I then added three more hearts to the backing.

 

I bordered and bound the quilt with two of the fabrics from the Glace' line, which just happened to be fabrics in Stephanie's favorite colors.

 

I choose to quilt with a simple straight-line quilting to echo the geometric pattern of the quilt top.

 

I forgot to label. (I always forget to label!) If I could go back and label, I would label it "Quilt for a Bestie".

After bordering and quilting and binding "Project 6" up, I folded it up and mailed it off to Texas, so that a Sweet Friend can unfold it and wrap it around herself in a big hug whenever she needs to know that if certain circumstances ever arise, this Bestie here in Colorado will always be here standing after the tears have been cried, after the dust has settled, and when the healing begins.

Always.

52 Weeks of Happy (24-29/52)

Moments of happy...

1. It's Mud Season. The short little season between winter and summer when feet and feet of this last winter's snow start to melt, turning all of the ground underneath it to mud. It's sloshy, keeps dirt caked up in the treads of your shoes, and leaves a constant film of grime on your hard floors. (It's interesting with a puppy.) Ski season is over. All of the winter tourists are gone, so the town is quiet. Restaurants and shops close early in the evenings. Everyone takes a deep breath and relaxes until the next batch of tourists arrive to kayak and tube and boat in the lakes and rivers swollen with the very same snow that is melting now. If you ask them, most Locals will tell you that they love Mud Season. My Mr. Monk (aka John) keeps the vacuum running.

 

 

2. Little bitty pops of color. No big and beautiful blossoms here yet, but that makes the little small wildflowers that are starting to show up around here all the more exciting. Spring IS coming! Well, I suppose spring is here, but...well, you know. That little ladybug showed up the very same week that the snow started to melt in April. Emma and I were beyond excited! And would you look at that furry paw? Oh, my goodness. Her fur looks like Grover's. I have taken to calling her my "Little Muppet". *Sigh*

 

 

3. April showers.

This kind...

And this kind...

Crazy weather. The temperature goes up and down, sometimes day to day. Would you believe it was perfectly clear and warm just the day before I took those snowy pictures?! It looked like winter all over again. "Springtime in the mountains is unpredictable at best", a sweet blogging friend said. She is so right. I am still not a Snow Hater. It still takes my breath away. The white covering everything. The bluest of blue skies. I must find a soft yarn and knit a sweater in that exact same darkest shade of blue. Tardis Blue?

 

 

4. We're using the deck again. Well, on the days when the snow has melted off of it, but that is happening more and more. The other day, I actually sat outside in the sunshine with SHORT SLEEVES! John's hoping to build a farmhouse-style table before this summer is out. I have visions of dining al fresco every single meal.

 

 

5. An unplanned repair. A juggling around of the house budget to accomodate replacing the kitchen faucet that had sprung a leak. We wanted to change it out eventually, as well as replace the kitchen sink. Now, apparently, was the right time. John's first sink install, and I think he did a great job. I love farmhouse sinks, John likes stainless, so we compromised: a deep, single basin stainless sink, and we love it. It makes washing big pots and pans so much easier. The master bathroom shower repair will have to wait.

 

 

6. The hummers are back! My favorite springtime happy! Oh, I have missed them. I have waited and waited to put the feeders back out, because the temps continued to stay so low, and I hadn't seen one return yet. We got a week of glorious 60 degree weather a couple of weeks ago, and that Saturday morning as I finished up my tea, I heard the unmistakable whirring whistle of a broadtailed hummingbird. Eep! I jumped up right then and there, filled the feeders, and hung them outside. I've seen three at once so far. Don't know if last year's Hummingbird Fest was a fluke or a regular occurence. We shall see! *fingers crossed* As you can see from the pic, the temps have fallen again, but the hummers continue to drink and don't seem to mind the icicles one bit.

 

 

7. The color green. My favorite color at the moment. I have never craved a color so much before as I do the color green right now. The feet of snow were truly magnificent, but with the exception of the spruce, there was no green to be had. Ah, the anticipation! (Cue Carly Simon.) Winter and spring have been doing a dance, each taking turns leading. A little green will show up, only to be covered in white again as a new winter storm dumps more snow on the ground, but at least this snow is melting quickly. The temps won't allow it to linger. And the more spring snow we get, the damper the ground, and the less chance for forest fires. Silver Lining. Even still, I find that once I have started seeing the green, I want the white to stop. I am ready for flowers and grasses and new aspen leaves. Maidenhair fern and English ivy. Lush, green mountainsides and lush, green valleys. Thank you, God, for the color green.

 

"The happiest people don't have the best of everything, they just make the best of everything."

52 Weeks of Happy (19/52 & 20/52)

Moments of happy...

1. Mismatched buttons on a finished knit. Bulle. Quince & Co. lark yarn in the Peak's Ferry colorway. For Emma. I had a feeling when I first saw the pattern on Ravelry that she would want one. She chose the red and the fit. She wanted it loose, so I stretched it a bit during blocking. When it came to choosing the buttons, I introduced her to the idea of fabric-covered buttons, and she was all over that. She looked through my fabric stash and found two different Michael Miller prints that she liked. "Can I have two different fabrics on the two different buttons?" Of course! That's why you make it yourself...to make it your own! She has always loved strawberries, and she has always loved roses. Very "her". I have a feeling I'll be making her another one next year.

Ravelry notes here.

 

 

2. Free motion quilting. (WARNING: Unless you quilt or own a Brother , this "happy" is not going to appeal to you. At all.) I bought a Brother PC-8500 embroidery/sewing machine one year (2001?) at the International Quilt Festival in Houston. It has been a really great machine, but when I decided to be brave and try to learn how to free motion quilt (FMQ), I ran into a brick wall. There were no instructions in the Operation Manual. I scoured the internet looking for help and found nothing. Finally I stumbled onto a few forum posts in which many PC-8500 owners lamented the fact that is was impossible to free motion quilt with this machine. Quilting tutorials tell you that in order to FMQ you must drop the feed dogs on your machine, adjust the machine's tension, etc., etc... Those steps will not work on this machine. (Told you this wasn't going to appeal to everyone.)

I called Sew Contempo in Houston, Texas and was told that there was only one woman in the store who knew how to FMQ on my machine. She was the store's "Brother Lady". I met her at the shop later that week, and she kindly sat me down in front of another Brother machine, and off we went. It worked!

On the off chance that some poor soul needing fmq-ing help should ever stumble upon this little blog, here is the information that I received.

You are going to need a couple of Brother attachments. First is the Adapter for Low Shank Attachments, shown in the two pictures below. (This and the small screw came with my machine.) This is the same piece that is used for attaching the Walking Foot.

 

Second is the SA129 Free Motion Quilting Foot. (I had to order this through my quilting shop. The large screw came with my machine.)

 

Step 1: Remove the Presser Foot Holder from your machine. Once you have removed it, you will see this:

 

Step 2: Attach the Adapter for Low Shank Attachments to the presser bar and screw it on with the smaller screw.

 

Step 3: Attach the SA129 Free Motion Quilting Foot with the larger screw.

 

Step 4: Set your Stitch Length to 4.0 mm.

 

Step 5: Set your Stitch Design to Straight (Mid).

Do NOT adjust the machine's tension. (Yes, I know this makes no logical sense, especially if you have ever FMQ-ed on another machine, but it really does work. Leave it to me to buy the quirky sewing machine on the market.)

Ready, set, go! I keep my speed at "medium". I find I get the best control of the stitches at that speed.

If you need general tutorials on how to Free Motion Quilt, you can find many on YouTube. There is also a nice one here at crazy mom quilts.

I need more practice, but YAY!!! I'm ready to tackle a new project for spring! (It only took me years and years to finally give this a try.)

 

 

3. Flowers for the table. I couldn't pass them up when I walked past them at the grocery store. I remember looking at home listings before we moved here and noticing that EVERYONE had houseplants EVERYWHERE in the pictures of their homes. Like A LOT of houseplants. It makes so much sense now. I haven't seen green since November! I'm going to try to keep flowers in the house this spring. Instant happy.

 

 

4. Sunshine, snow, and The Avett Brothers. Oh, the sun is so warm these days! Deliciously warm! I went outside to see the neighbor's black lab who had stopped by our driveway to say 'hello', and then I didn't want to go back inside. The sun, the snow, the warmth. And John was in the garage working on a house project with I Heart Radio tuned to his Avett Brothers station. I grabbed a chair, sat back, closed my eyes, and felt the pure spring warmth of 38 degrees. Beautiful. Then the song January Wedding came on, and Seth Avett sang, "True love is not the kind of thing you should turn down. Don't ever turn it down." That's when I felt the tears stinging in my eyes. John asked me, "Is this a Moment of Happy?" And I said, "Oh, yes. It is."

 

"The happiest people don't have the best of everything, they just make the best of everything."

52 Weeks of Happy (12/52, 13/52, 14/52 & 15/52)

(I could just as easily call this post "52 Weeks of Happy: The Comfort Edition". My Moments of Happy during my first good honest-to-goodness Colorado winter cold were also my Moments of Comfort.)

A month's worth of "happies"...

1. Tapioca Pudding. I have heard stories my whole life about my Gran's tapioca pudding from my dad. He and my Uncle Butch had it often when they were boys. Gran served it cold at the end of every Sunday dinner of braised rump roast with gravy, real mashed potatoes, buttered corn, a lettuce and tomato salad, and her famous "top hat" rolls. The tapioca was always topped with spoonfuls of sweet, syrupy apricots that she had simmered on the stove. Oh, what I wouldn't give to have a Sunday dinner with Gran.

My own childhood is filled with memories of tapioca, too. Tuesdays were for visits from Papa. Those days he would stand over the stove and patiently stir, stir, stir with our old wood-handled spoon. My brother and I would stand on our tip-toes on each side of Papa to see if we could catch a glimpse of the pudding starting to boil. I never could make tapioca as well as my Gran or my Papa. As a kid I was always too impatient. I would turn the heat up too high to get it to cook faster, only to have it scorch on the bottom of the pan. Thankfully, I've gotten more patient. 

I felt my cold coming on while I was at the grocery store, and knew right then that I wanted some tapioca. I've eaten more bowls of it in the last month than I have in my whole adult life. Sweet comforting memories. And also, it was the only thing that felt nice and cold on my sore throat.

 

2. Cream of Chicken soup. This is the chicken soup I want when I come down with a cold. Served with an ice-cold Coca-Cola.

 

CREAM OF CHICKEN SOUP

Ingredients:

2 lbs. chicken thighs

4 cups chicken broth

2 cups water

bay leaf

salt

pepper

1/2 cup unsalted butter

1 medium yellow onion

2 stalks celery with leaves, chopped

3 medium carrots, chopped

1/2 cup flour

1/2 cup heavy cream

Chopped flat-leaf parsley

Directions:

1. In a large Dutch oven or soup pot, simmer the chicken, chicken broth, water, salt, pepper, and bay leaf, covered on medium-low heat for 1 hour. Remove the chicken and set aside to cool. Pour the broth through a strainer and set aside. Rinse the soup pot out and return it to the stove.

2. Melt the butter in the soup pot over medium heat. Add the onion, celery, and carrots. Cook, covered, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are soft, about 12 minutes. Add the flour and cook, stirring with a wooden spoon, for a couple of minutes more.

3. Pour in the reserved broth and bring to a boil while whisking constantly. Lower the heat and simmer for 15 minutes.

4. Meanwhile, remove the skin and bones from the reserved chicken; shred or chop the meat. Stir the chicken into the soup and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat.

5. Stir in the heavy cream. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Stir in chopped parsley. Serve immediately.

Yield: 6 servings

Note: To save time, you can simply skip the first step and start the recipe at step 2. Use 6 cups of canned low-sodium chicken broth instead of the reserved chicken broth, and use 2 3/4 cups of diced cooked chicken instead of reserved cooked chicken thighs. Add the bay leaf to the soup as it simmers in step 3.

 

3. Tea. Always comforting to me. I got each of the kids a tea steeper. Austin got a Mister Tea (the tea steeps in his pants), Joel got a Teatanic, and Emma got a Manatea. (You can find them all on amazon.com.) And I discovered that Adagio Teas carries a line of tea blends inspired by The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. (Eep!) "Second Breakfast". "The White Tea of Kings". "Fool's Took". I drank "Elevenses" around the clock for days (I stopped counting after 14 cups of it.) Amazing teas! Yes, I know I'm totally geeking out on this, but see that blend in the picture above called "111th Birthday"? It totally tastes like chocolate cake, so I feel completely justified.

 

4. More Tea. Flowering tea. A gift to Emma from her Aunt Melanie and Uncle Jonathan. So beautiful and so fun to steep. Emma received Green Tea with Jasmine and White Tea with Peach along with a pretty glass teapot. She absolutely loves this gift. Perfect for the Girly-Girl that she is.

 

5. Yarn. My other Christmas gift from John. Yarn to make a winter project. Yarn from Tanis Fiber Arts in my favorite retro color pallette. Cashmere. The softest.

 

6. Knitting. "Properly practiced, knitting soothes the troubled spirit, and it doesn't hurt the untroubled spirit either." -Elizabeth Zimmermann. Knitting was the only thing I felt well enough to do for days. Peaceful, quiet, simple stockinette on a tunic for Emma, which made for peaceful, quiet moments to pray for my family back in Texas. They had a much rougher time of it in January than I did. My beloved brother spent a very, very difficult time in the hospital with pneumonia and MRSA. He is such a fighter. He has been improving. God is faithful.

 

7. Job 19:25. "For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth." This verse bubbled up from the back of my mind as I was praying for my brother. I used to sing this verse. I studied Handel's Messiah when I studied voice for a short time years ago. "I know that my redeemer liveth." It brought so much peace and comfort. And strength. After all these years...after all of man's laws failed and grace triumphed, after "basic principles" brought death rather than life, after all was mericiful (if not painfully) stripped away, what remained was the truth, the foundation, the life of "I KNOW." Joy!

 

8. Sweet Baby Boy. Is there any "happy" happier and more comforting than a new baby? I think not. Especially when he's my youngest sister's firstborn. Little Jax Thomas. Oh, so precious with his cute little nose and his strawberry blonde hair. Isn't he just perfect? The very best and happiest way to end the first month of this New Year. Congratulations, Chase and Joy! He is utterly, completely beautiful!

 

The happiest people don't have the best of everything, they just make the best of everything.

52 Weeks of Happy (9/52 & 10/52)

Moments of happy...

1. Elving. Yes, I completely stole "Elving" from Gillian over at tales from a happy house, but it's the cutest and most appropriate title for my first "happy" from the last couple of weeks. And I did a lot of it. Many hours (and many episodes of Northern Exposure) holed up in my sewing room with a very curious little girl tapping on the outside of the door. "Mommy, what are you doing???" She knew perfectly well that Mrs. Claus was busy in her workshop, but this didn't stop her from checking up on me every so often. "Um, Mommy?" "Yes?" "Um...(long pause)....um,...I love you!" Funny little girl!

Emma and I had seen Alicia's Maggie Rabbit clothing patterns back when she first published them and ooo'd and aah'd and squealed over their cuteness. I purchased the yarn for these little items back in Texas before the move. I knew I would give these to Emma this Christmas. She was so surprised. She opened her gift, her eyes filled with tears, and I got the sweetest hug ever. Then she jumped up from the living room and dressed Bunny on the spot, never mind that she still had other gifts to open. Bunnies are just that important, you know?

Ravelry notes here and here.

 

2. This book. I might as well start this "happy" with "Pass the Kleenex." You may hate me for this one. This "happy" is heartwrenching. I discovered this book a couple of weeks before Christmas online, but it has been out of print for many years. I was able to track down a copy in Denver and had it transferred to my library in Steamboat. Based on a true story, The Day They Gave Babies Away tells the tale of a 12-year-old boy who, after the death of his parents, gives his five younger brothers and sisters away to carefully chosen families on Christmas Day. It's a short and simple read and well worth the effort to find. I'm sorry in advance.

 

3. That platter. A very sweet and sentimental gift from one of the most beautiful and dear ladies I know. I bring that platter out every Christmas and fill it with goodies. It warms my heart, makes me smile, and reminds me that I am loved. Thank you, dearest Susan!

 

4. These ornaments. I saw that black bear in the window of a shop in Old Town the very first week we moved here. I knew he would be hanging on our tree this Christmas. He came home with a little red fox. They were joined by a new ornament mailed from my sister: a picture of her Flower Girl, my Emma, standing by a Christmas tree at her wedding last year. Happy First Anniversary, Jeremy and Sharon!

 

5. Hot Chocolate! A Christmas package from Grandma. John's mom sent a box full of Christmas for everyone to open. It appears Grandma has been busy in her sewing room, too. She made the cutest table runner and coasters out of adorable "Hot Chocolate" fabric by Nancy Mink. I.love.this. I woke up the next morning to find John's coffee mug sitting on one of the coasters. "That one's mine," he said. "It's my favorite." Well, okay then. Good thing we chose different favorites.

 

6. Christmas Eve traditions. Snuggling under a Christmas quilt from Aunt Ann. The Polar Express. A platter of our very favorite-est chewy, fudgy brownie-like cookies: Cocoa Snowflakes. Cookies and milk for Santa. And, of course, "Hot Chocolate!" (Sing it like Tom Hanks.)

 

COCOA SNOWFLAKES

Adapted from Penzey's

Ingredients:

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 t. baking powder

1/4 t. salt

5 T. butter

6 T. cocoa powder

1 cup sugar

1 t. vanilla

2 large eggs

1/2 cup powdered sugar (for rolling dough)

Directions:

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside. In a small saucepan, melt butter over low heat. Add cocoa powder and whisk until smooth. Add 1 cup sugar and mix well. Transfer cocoa mixture to a large mixing bowl. Add the vanilla and the eggs one at a time, mixing after each addition. Add the flour mixture and mix well. (The dough will be runny, but will firm up after chilling.) Cover and chill for at least 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Form dough into 3/4" balls. (The dough will be quite sticky. It helps to powder-sugar your hands for this step.) Roll the dough balls in powdered sugar and place 2 inches apart on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper (or a greased baking sheet). Bake for 8 minutes. (They will seem slightly underbaked. This is perfect!) Leave them on the baking sheet for one minute more and then remove cookies to cooling racks. Store in an airtight container to keep them chewy.

Yield: 40-60 cookies

***Note: The above recipe is the recipe I have used year after year at sea level. If you would like the same recipe adjusted for high altitude, you can find it in Chef Megan's 2013 Holiday Cookie Book. They are amazing!

 

 

7. An itty-bitty black bear. From my kids to me. They know that little red James Avery box will bring big happy smiles from me every time. A black bear! How wonderful is that? He will have to be added to my bracelet when we take our first return trip to Texas.

8. A White Christmas. A for-real-honest-to-goodness White Christmas! My very first. I walked upstairs from the basement after a session of elving and was greeted by our Christmas Tree all lit up, a fire in the fireplace, Bing Crosby crooning on I Heart Radio's Christmas Classics station, Holiday Aroma simmering away on the stove, drifts of snow outside my front door. I snapped a mental picture to freeze the moment and took it all in. Somebody pinch me.

 

The happiest people don't have the best of everything, they just make the best of everything.

52 Weeks of Happy (6/52 & 7/52)

Moments of happy...

1. My little Sous-Chef. "I want to help you make Thanksgiving Dinner!" Emma really surprised me this year. We've been having fun baking together for quite some time, but this was the first time she asked to help me with THE dinner. I imagined she would do a little bit and then run off to play, but she was such a big help. She kneaded the dough for the rolls, prepared the ingredients for the dressing, helped with the cranberry sauce, topped the sweet potatoes with marshmallows, and helped with the pie crusts. She was wonderful. And we had so much fun together!

 

2. I got my quirky back. In the form of new eyeglass frames. I had to start wearing glasses a few years ago, and I decided then that if I was going to have to wear glasses, I was going to wear glasses. Quirky ones. They lasted three years and then broke three weeks after we moved. I got a pair of replacements, but they weren't my favorite. I got some good, new quirky ones this week. And I love them. And, no, I didn't buy a pair of Juicy Couture eyeglass frames just because Juicy's co-founder Gela Nash is married to John Taylor, bassist of Duran Duran. Really. I promise. Maybe.   

 

3. The start of the next big project. A bunkroom! That's a model of bunkbeds made out of cardboard that John designed. Have I ever mentioned before that I am married to an engineer?       

 

4. Buddy's back. Buddy, our Elf. He seemed to have no problem finding the new house in Colorado, and he's adjusting to the cold temperatures. (Well, he is an elf after all.) And I have to say, yes, it really was -22 degrees the morning I took that first picture, and, no, it's really not that cold inside of our house! The thermometer sits on the windowsill right in the draft that comes in from the window. (I can see window replacements in our future. Yep. Another house project.) We are warm and cozy inside.             

 

5. Mrs. Claus' Workshop is busy, busy. The sewing machine is humming. The knitting needles are clicking. The deliveries from UPS are slowly being wrapped and put under the Christmas tree. The door to the workshop (my sewing room) is kept closed when Mrs. Claus is at work. If you put your ear up to the door, you might hear episodes of Northern Exposure playing inside. (Mrs. Claus likes to watch TV while she works.)            

 

6. My Christmas angels. I took piano lessons for several years as a girl. My beloved piano teacher would always gift us students with something pretty after our Christmas recitals were over. More often than not, she would give each of us a Christmas angel. I would take it home and set it on the mantel over our fireplace. I only have three of those original angels now, and one of them plays her violin with a broken bow, but oh, how I love them! They are some of the very few truly vintage items that I own. My dad added the littlest angel to my small collection a few years ago. I will treasure them always.

 

7. Christmas time is here. And the tree is up. Decorated with ornaments full of sentiment and memories. Some given by Forever Friends. Some given as wedding gifts. Some bought years ago on a ski vacation in Breckenridge. Every one with a story. Every one with a very special place in my heart. Our Christmas tree is a happy tree with, interestingly enough, lots of snowmen and ice skates. Yes, I've been dreaming of a White Christmas for many, many years. And now we are here. If only I could keep the Christmas tree up all year long.     

 

The happiest people don't have the best of everything, they just make the best of everything.